Chapter Eight #3
They sat there in a comfortable silence for a moment.
Charles wondered what she was thinking. She was, after all, a smart, talented young woman.
He’d never heard anyone play piano as perfectly as Lady Cathryn.
She was an angel in his eyes. No woman had ever made him feel as she did.
Certainly, he hadn’t spent a lot of time around women growing up.
His social life had been limited for fear he might have one of his “fits” and scare everyone around him.
Now he’d met her, and it seemed everything had turned upside down and he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do about it.
“May I say something personal?” she asked.
“Of course.”
“Why aren’t you angry with your parents or your siblings about the way you grew up?”
“Honestly, I can’t be upset with my siblings. They were too young to know what was going on. As for my parents, they thought they were doing the right thing after listening to the so-called experts. It could have been worse. My father could have left me in an asylum and forgotten about me.”
“I understand. What you say makes sense.”
“One doctor did convince my father to put me in an asylum. That didn’t last but a few days. He came to see how I was getting along and to speak with the doctors about their plan to help me recover. He didn’t like what he saw.”
“So that’s how you ended up on Wight?”
“Yes.”
Looking up at the moon, Charles figured it was getting very late. They’d been here talking for hours, and daybreak wouldn’t be too many hours away. He hated the idea of leaving, but he couldn’t afford to get caught just yet.
“I hate to bring this to a close, but we’ve been here talking for ages, which I must tell you I’ve thoroughly enjoyed.”
“As have I. Would you like to continue again tonight?” she asked.
“I would,” he replied.
He assisted her to her feet where they both stood in silence, neither sure what to say.
“I will think about our conversation and see if I come up with anything regarding my father’s upcoming visit,” she said.
“You’re sure he’s going to come?”
“Yes.”
Tucking his finger under her chin, Charles tilted her head and, before he knew what he was doing, kissed her gently on the lips. He’d never kissed a woman like this before and deduced he’d done it right because she didn’t pull away in horror. She seemed to like it because he felt her respond.
“Come, I’ll escort you back to the house,” he finally said.
“I’ll be fine.”
“I insist. You’ll enter first. I’ll wait a few minutes before going in.”
She nodded. “I enjoyed our talk, Lord Charles, and look forward to our next.”
“Charles,” he said. “Please call me Charles. Lord knows you of all people should call me by my Christian name.”
“Only if you’ll call me Cathryn, Charles.”
He smiled and opened the kitchen door for her. “Until later,” he said. Before she could respond, he was gone.
When he returned to his secret room, he paced the floor for a moment.
He was surprised with the feelings that had come about just being in Cathryn’s presence.
He didn’t want to wait until after dark before seeing her again.
There was a need, and he couldn’t explain it.
Being in her company and just talking with her brought him happiness he’d never known.
His cock had been hard the entire time, and he was grateful the light wasn’t any brighter or she might have seen.
To top it off, he kissed her, and she didn’t pull away. It had only lasted a few moments, but he would never forget how she tasted and how she responded to his actions.
Sitting down in the chair, he pulled off his boots, jacket, and trousers until he was in his smalls. He lay down, drawing the blankets up over him. His eyes were heavy, and it was only a matter of minutes before he fell asleep.
Waking up hours later, he sat up for a moment to get his bearings.
He dressed and found a light breakfast sitting on the table along with a couple of newspapers.
The coffee was lukewarm, indicating to him that Frazier had been here earlier than normal.
A change of clothes was neatly placed at one end of the table.
What he wanted was a bath. Perhaps one could be arranged.
Something he’d speak to his valet about.
He read the newspaper after eating his fill. Charles didn’t see anything earth shaking going on, so he stood and began to get dressed. As he finished, he turned to see the door opening and his valet coming through.
“You were sleeping rather soundly when I was in a few hours ago.”
“First good night’s sleep I’ve had in a while,” Charles replied.
“I thought you’d like to know what’s going on.”
Charles cocked his head. What could possibly be going on that involved him? “What is it?”
“Thought you’d like to know that Lady Cathryn’s parents will be here in three days. Her father wants her reputation intact by having her marry you. Her mother, on the other hand, wants to send her to a convent.”
“That’s a little extreme.”
“It is, but if something can’t be arranged for the two of you to marry, they will do whatever needs to be done, and that includes sending her away to a convent.”
“What is wrong with these people? Lady Cathryn isn’t a racehorse who hasn’t lived up to their breeding. She’s a smart, beautiful, and talented young woman.”
“Spoken like a man in love,” Frazier replied with a lopsided grin.
“Love doesn’t happen that quickly. It’s something that develops over time.”
“There are many ways Cupid’s arrow will pierce your heart.”
Charles sighed. “Any advice?”
“You could elope. Take her to Gretna Green and jump the broom. Leave early in the morning before the house is awake. Go to London, catch the train to Edinburgh. From there you two can take a coach to Gretna Green. You’ll be husband and wife before her parents arrive.”
“So in their eyes I’d be admitting I ruined her.”
“Won’t matter by then, will it?” Frazier said.
“No, it won’t.”
“You don’t have to come right back. You could spend some time at the family estate in York. I don’t think anyone would think to look there.”
Charles nodded. “You’re right. I need to get word to Lady Cathryn and see what she thinks about the entire thing. The sooner we’re on the road, the better.”
“If you write something to her, I’ll make sure she gets it and bring word back to you.”
“Very well. Give me a half hour to write to her. I want to make sure I get it right.”
He sat down at the table, lost in thought, not hearing his valet leave.
Was this truly the thing to do? Marry Cathryn?
He was certain her parents would do something awful like send her away to a convent.
He wanted to save her from such a fate. If they married, her father wouldn’t be in a position to make monetary demands.
Nor would they be able to have the marriage annulled, and if they did try, it would be unlikely they’d succeed.
Providing for her wouldn’t be a problem, and he was sure they could reside on the family estate.
Spending time in York might be an idea while everyone adjusted to the fact they were married.
If not, they could always take a wedding trip to the Continent.
He’d been once. Trying to prove a point, he set out with little money and a lot of ambition.
His father put a man on it and had him brought back to Wight.
His fingers were writing the words, but his mind was elsewhere.
It always was. The best thing to do might be to return to Kent after they wed and confront everyone.
If her parents had left, he would send word, and they would go to them.
If they didn’t disown their daughter. That was always a distinct possibility.
Explaining his plan to Cathryn wasn’t hard. He kept it simple. The details would follow. All he wanted right now was for her to agree to his plan. They would figure the rest out later.
But what would happen if she didn’t agree and didn’t wish to elope? Or marry him at all. That wasn’t something he was going to let his mind wander to. All he could do was hope for the best. The rest would follow. They had the rest of their lives to get to know each other.